In Memory of Chu Shijian
Mar 08-2019
Mr. Chu Shijian, one of the best-known and most respected entrepreneurs in China, passed away on March 5th, aged 91. An outpour of sadness and condolences has gripped Chinese media and business circle. In his memory, NSD official Wechat account re-published articles by Prof. Zhou Qiren and Prof. Zhang Weiying commending and commenting on the drama-worthy career of Mr. Chu. At the age of 71, Mr. Chu was sentenced to life imprisonment on conviction of embezzlement of USD1.74 million. By that time he had worked for 18 years to turn a tobacco factory in Southwestern China into a highly profitable behemoth, yet his total income over the years had been merely 800,000 yuan. Many people believed he deserved much more reward for the accomplishments and his court case led to discussions and improvement in the treatment and remuneration of entrepreneurs. At the age of 74, Mr. Chu left prison on medical parole and he soon embarked on a most improbable start-up: growing an orange orchard without any previous experience. After 10 years’ toiling, his oranges have become a super-brand in China thanks to its juicy quality and perhaps more importantly, the never-give-up and make-big-things-happen life story of Mr. Chu. NSD Prof. Zhou Qiren said Mr. Chu had devoted his whole life to solving questions, sometimes by taking risks and always by using his wisdom. NSD Prof. Zhang Weiying said that a healthy and good society must be a fair one; and that Mr. Chu’s story illuminated that our society might not be a fair one. Mr. Chu had the qualities and competence of a best entrepreneur and had done what a best entrepreneur could have done, creating a famous cigarette brand and even trail-blazing a new model of agricultural industrialization, he said.
